Ontario Mineral Inventory

Ontario Geological Survey
Permanent Link to this Record: MDI42C12NW00003

Record: MDI42C12NW00003

General

Mineral Record Identification
Record Name(s) Golden Giant - 1980
Related Record Type Partial
Related Record(s)
Record Status Past Producing Mine Without Reserves or Resources
Date Created 1986-Oct-14
Date Last Modified 2022-May-18
Created By
Revised By

Commodities

Primary Commodities: Gold

Secondary Commodities: Molybdenum, Barite, Antimony, Mercury, Silver



Location

Township or Area: Bomby

Latitude: 48° 41' 41.28"    Longitude: -85° 54' 13.36"

UTM Zone: 16    Easting: 580673.59   Northing: 5394108.9    UTM Datum: NAD83

Resident Geologist District: Thunder Bay South

NTS Grid: 42C12NW

Point Location Description: Large operating mine

Location Method: Other

Access Description: Approx. 35 km east of Marathon and 50 km south of Manitouwadge, Ontario. Highway 17 bisects the area in an east-west direction and provides the best access to the area. The main CP line also traverses the area and roughly parallels the highway within about 1km to the south.



Exploration History

Subeconomic gold mineralization found in the 1940s. Sporadic shallow exploration over next 30 years. Higher gold prices in the 1970s prompted renewed exploration. Restaked by Don McKinnon and John Larche, who optioned claims to Golden Sceptre Resources and Goliath Gold Mines Ltd. 1980: Noranda options claims. 1983: development and construction started. April 1985: first gold bar poured. 1987: Noranda’s gold holdings consolidated into Hemlo Gold Mines Inc. 1996: Hemlo Gold Mines Inc. merged with Battle Mountain Gold. 2001: Battle Mountain Gold Company merged with Newmont Canada Ltd. 2001: Newmont Mining acquired Battle Mountain Gold. 2006: Newmont Canada closed the mine. 2010: Barrick purchased the property to extend the reserves at David Bell.


Assessment Work on File

Assessment Work on File
Office File Number Online Assessment File Identifier Online Assessment File Directory
18 42C12NW0149 42C12NW0149
42C12NW0013B1 42C12NW0167 42C12NW0167
63.3958 42C12NW0144 42C12NW0144
63.4477 42C12NW8664 42C12NW8664
63.4447 42C12NW0029 42C12NW0029
42C12NW0014A1 42C12NW0162 42C12NW0162

Geology

Province: Superior

Subprovince: Wawa

Terrane: Wawa-Abitibi

Belt: Schreiber-Hemlo

Geological Age: Neoarchean   Geochronological Age: 2800 - 2600 MA  



Geology Comments

Dec 07, 2005 (Q Unknown) - The 'stratigraphy' in the mine area has been subdivided into 4 major formations. From south to north they are the Cache Lake, Rule Lake, Moose Lake and Cedar Creek formations. The Moose Lake formation is the most important economically as it hosts the main hemlo deposit and a number of the pthe rmineralized zones. These formations represent a package of rocks approx. 3km thick within the lower part of the Heron Bay group. Rocks in the min strike at 115 degrees and a dip of 65 degrees northeast. The Cache Lake formation, which forms the structurally lowermost unit of the 'stratigraph'; comprises mafic metavolcanic schists and granofels. In the deposit area, this formation is about 150m thick. It was used as a distinct marker during initial deep exploration drilling of the deposit. Drill hles were normally stopped once they reached this formation, being deemed through the potentially favourable ore zones. The formation tends to be more highly sheared and contains hematite-filled fractures adjacent to its contact with the overlying Rule Lake formation. The Rule Lake formation consists of laminated metasedimentary schists and gneisses. The total thickness of this formation is about 150m in the mine area. The basal portion of the formation is dominated by amphibole-feldspar-biotite gneiss, whereas the upper portion is comprissed of calc-silicate rich metasedimentary rocks which commonly contain kyanite, staurolite, and garnet adjactent to the structurally overlying contact. The formation is comprised of rok types similar to the Cedar Creek formation and there is no observable difference between the two. The Moose Lake formation within the Golden Giant Mine can be subdivided into four units which, from south to north are; Lower Mineralized Zone, Footwall Schists, Mafic Fragmental, Main Ore Zone.




Mineralization

Mineralization and Alteration
Rank Mineral Name Class Economic Mineral Type Alteration Mineral Type Alteration Ranking Alteration Intensity Alteration Style
1BariteEconomicOre
2CinnabarEconomicOre
3GoldEconomicOre
4MolybdeniteEconomicOre
5OrpimentEconomicOre
6PyriteEconomicOre
7PyrrhotiteEconomicOre
8RealgarEconomicOre
9StibniteEconomicOre
CarbonateAlterationCarbonatization1UnknownDisseminated
TourmalineAlterationTourmalinization2UnknownDisseminated
PyriteAlterationPyritic3UnknownDisseminated
AlbiteAlterationFeldspathization4UnknownDisseminated
SilicateAlterationSilicification5UnknownDisseminated
BiotiteAlterationBiotitic6UnknownDisseminated
SericiteAlterationSericitization7UnknownDisseminated
MicroclineAlterationFeldspathization8UnknownDisseminated

Mineralization Comments

Dec 07, 2005 (Q Unknown) - The Hemlo Gold Deposit does not intersect the surface at the Golden Giant Mine. The orebodies occur predominantly within 2 zones, the structurally upper 'Main Ore Zone' and the structurally lower 'Lower Mineralized Zone'. Subdivisions of the gold-molybdenite bearing Main Ore Zone, based on predominant mineralogy, are feldspathic ore and sericitic ore; baritic -feldspathic ore; and siliceous ore. Freldspathic ore consists of microcline and quartz, along with pyrite, molybdenite, and green mica. The Barite-feldspathic ore consists of feldspathic ore fragments within a gold-molybdenite-poor barite +_ pyrite matrix. The Lower Mineralized Zone occurs at, or near, the footwall contact of the felsic, quartz-phyric felsic rocks of the QFPC. This zone ranges from 1 - 20 m thick, and contains ore-grade mineralization in thicknessess ranging from 2-5m, locally within the Lower Mineralized Zone are described as feldspathic, sericitic, baritic and pyritic. Quartz eyes are not present in feldspathic and sericitic types. The ore is cut by mafic and dacitic dikes. At least one mafic dike has undergone folding and boudinage followed by subsequent shortening during D3.



Alteration Comments

Dec 07, 2005 (Q Unknown) - One of the greatest difficulties is distinguishing between 1) unaltered and altered rocks; 2) alteration directly associated with the Hemlo gold deposit and alteration from other events (eg. intrusions, metamorphism); and 3) relative ages of types of alteration.




Mineral Record Details

Classification
RankClassification            
1 Metamorphic
Characteristics
Rank Characteristic            
1 Fault
2 Sheared

Mineral Zones - Size and Shape

Zone Name: Detour Lake - Rank 1
Shape Length Thickness Depth Strike Dip Plunge Trend Age Reference
Regular
Zone Name: Detour Lake - Rank 1
Shape Length Thickness Depth Strike Dip Plunge Trend Age Reference
Regular
Reserves or Resources Data
Zone Year Category Tonnes Reference Comments Commodities
Golden Giant 2005 Proven Mineral Reserve 478292 Schnieders et al, 2005 478,292 t at 10.67 g/t Au for 164,105 total contained ounces Au Gold 10.67 Grams per Tonne
Golden Giant 1994 Unclassified 10582000 Muir et al., 1994 10,582,000 tonnes ore at 11.10 g/t Au Gold 11.1 Grams per Tonne
Production Data
Year Tonnes Commodities Reference Comment
2005 19245215 Gold 11183560
Scott et al, 2007, ROA 2006, OFR 6202 p1 Production to end of 2005: 19,245,215 t @ 10.64 g/t Au for 6,780,373 oz Au. Mine closed Jan.2006.

References

Book - Geology and Gold Deposits of the Hemlo Area

Publication Number: FT GB A1 Date: 1991

Author: Muir, T.L., Schnieders, B.R., and Smyk, M.C.

Publisher Name: GAC-MAC-SEG

Location:


Journal - Canadian Mining Journal July 1985

Publication Number: CMJ 1985 Page: S1-16  Date: 1996

Author:

Publisher Name:

Location:


MonoMap - Geology of the Hemlo area, District of Thunder Bay

Publication Number: R217 Page: 51-57  Date: 1982

Author: Muir T.L.

Publisher Name: Ontario Geological Survey

Location:


Compend - Report of activities, 1983, Regional and Resident Geologists

Publication Number: MP117 Page: 72-75  Date: 1984

Author: Kustra C.R.

Publisher Name: Ontario Geological Survey

Location:


File - Mineral Deposit Files Thunder Bay

Publication Number: Date:

Author:

Publisher Name:

Location:


MonoMap - Precambrian Geology, Hemlo Gold Deposit Area

Publication Number: R289 Date: 1997

Author: Muir T.L.

Publisher Name: Ontario Geological Survey

Location:


MonoMap - Geology of the Hemlo Gold Deposit Area

Publication Number: OFR5877 Date: 1993

Author: Muir T.L.

Publisher Name: Ontario Geological Survey

Location:


Mono - Report of Activities 2004, Resident Geologist Program, Thunder Bay South Regional Resident Geologist Report: Thunder Bay South District

Publication Number: OFR6148 Page: Date: 2005

Author: Schnieders B.R., Scott J.F., Magee M.A., Muir T.L., Komar C.L.

Publisher Name: Ontario Geological Survey

Location:


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For detailed information regarding this mineral record please contact the Thunder Bay South Resident Geologist District Office